


Eclectic Extras and Erotica: Bellyaching

by TheGreys (alienjpeg)



Series: Eclectic Extras and Erotica [3]
Category: Looming Gaia
Genre: Blood and Gore, Body Horror, Fantasy, Friendship, Gen, M/M, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-15 22:29:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29815344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alienjpeg/pseuds/TheGreys
Summary: [Lukas/Evan] Lukas witnesses what can go wrong during a lycanthrope’s transformation, and now it’s up to him to save his new friend’s life before it’s too late.
Series: Eclectic Extras and Erotica [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2188446
Comments: 3
Kudos: 3





	Eclectic Extras and Erotica: Bellyaching

**Author's Note:**

> This short takes place a little after “The Perfect Shot”. That story can be read here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12436113/chapters/28303992
> 
> Unlike most of the other shorts in this collection, this one isn’t a sex scene, but I guess it is intimate in the same way “your boyfriend holding your hair while you’ve got your head in the toilet” is. I think intimacy comes in many forms, not just sex. Sometimes people just being there for others can be a display of intimacy.
> 
> This was a segment that was cut from the end of “The Perfect Shot”. I deleted it because it made the story too long and I thought the original ending was a little smoother. I don’t regret that decision, but I still really liked this segment because it shows the moment Evan knew Lukas would always be there for him through thick and thin. So I went back and rewrote it, and now here it is for you. Enjoy!

**BELLYACHING**

_AUTUMN, 5988_

Lukas had been in Evan’s company for less than a week and things were already starting to get hairy, literally and figuratively.

Evan confessed something very personal to him when they met. Something dark and chilling that, in all honesty, made Lukas consider sneaking out of the inn that night and running as far from the man as possible. Yet here he was, still at the rickety inn room in Chidibe where the two had stayed all week.

Evan left during the day to run small jobs around town. He returned at night battered and bleeding, spent a few hours eating and patching his armor, then went to bed. Lukas couldn’t believe Evan just left him here alone with the fat bounty of treasure they recovered from Gazwan. He could have run off with it at any time. Why the man chose to trust him so, he couldn’t imagine.

This morning, Evan wasn’t going anywhere. He woke up looking terrible, pale and haggard as if he had the flu. Lukas hadn’t slept that night—he hadn’t slept much since he fled the savannah. He sat on his bed, wide awake, watching as Evan slipped on his peg leg and staggered across the room. He did not wash, clean his teeth, comb his hair, or even get dressed. Rather, he headed straight for their sack of food in the corner and began rifling through it like a wild animal, shoving entire fistfuls of dates, crackers, and jerky in his mouth.

Lukas raised an eyebrow. “Evan? You, uh…want to save some rations for the rest of us, maybe?” he queried. The only reply he got was a low grunt. Evan crushed a handful of crackers to dust and poured it into his mouth, chasing it with two dates before ripping into another slab of jerky. He chewed it all ravenously and swallowed it down with a gulp of ale.

Lukas was aware he had a big appetite. They already spent half of their bounty on food alone. But he’d never seen Evan quite like this, binging so desperately at this absurd hour in the morning. Lukas watched helplessly as he emptied almost the entire sack, leaving little more than a couple pieces of hardtack and squashed dates behind.

With that, Evan stood up and made his way to a different bag—his rucksack, hanging on a hook near the door. He pulled out a coiled length of iron chains and turned to Lukas with a strange look on his face. Lukas’ heart skipped a beat. For a moment, he was sure Evan would start beating him with the chains, but instead he tossed them on his bed and said, “It’s a full moon tonight.”

The Uekoran’s brows arched high. He turned to the window, but it was too late and moon was well out of sight. “It is? So, w-what do we do?” he stammered. Evan’s confession flashed through his mind, making him shudder. He couldn’t think of a more gruesome fate than being ripped apart by a werewolf.

Evan gestured to the chains and said, “We need to make sure I’m locked down before sunset. I think I found a secure location, but it’s a ways from here.”

“Why not stay here? In the room, I mean? I can jam the door from the outside and sleep in the hall,” suggested Lukas.

Evan shook his head. “That rickety door won’t hold the beast. No, the noise alone will draw suspicion. I need to go somewhere remote, far from the city. But I might need your help.”

“With what?” asked Lukas. He already didn’t like the sound of this.

Evan said, “I need you to follow me to the location so you’ll know where it is. You don’t have to stay all night, but if you could come back and check on me after sunrise, I would really appreciate it. You know, make sure I haven’t…maimed myself or something. I’m crippled enough as it is.” He nodded down at his peg leg. “Bring a bag of food and medical supplies with you, just in case. And if I’m not there, check the local jails. The Yerim-Mor Guard may have found me out and detained me.”

This was sounding worse with every word that left his mouth. Lukas dragged a palm down his sweaty face and groaned, “I—ugh, damn it. Okay.” He stood up with a sigh and began to dress. After a meager breakfast and quick shave, the two left the inn together.

They made a long, winding journey through the maze-like streets of Chidibe, until finally, they broke free from the slums and stepped into the wilderness. Rolling dunes and dry desert scrub lie ahead, as far as the eye could see. They reached the top of a particularly monstrous dune and saw something curious ahead: an ancient military outpost, crumbling from years of time and neglect.

As they descended the other side of the dune, Lukas queried, “Is this the place?”

“Yes,” replied Evan. “I’ve been scoping it for days and I’ve yet to catch anyone here. It seems completely abandoned. I don’t expect anyone will roll by tonight, but then again, anything could happen. That’s what I need you for.”

“Say the Guard does drag you off to jail,” began Lukas. “What am I supposed to do about that? If they know you’re a lycanthrope, I doubt they’ll just let you walk.”

“For a high enough bribe, they might,” said Evan. “But…well, that’s up to you. You can try to bail me out, but I wouldn’t hold it against you if you take the money and run. I’d never want to drag you into trouble with me, friend. You’re a smart guy. Just use your best judgment.”

The outpost was once a three-story stone tower, now reduced to two stories as the topmost floor had caved in on itself. The area was surrounded by a dilapidated stone wall that did nothing to keep the mercenaries out. They passed right through a collapsed section and explored the area. Debris was scattered everywhere. Lukas saw scraps of tattered armor, broken weapons and tools, and the remains of parted-out siege equipment lying in the yard.

He heard a crunch under his boot. Lifting his foot, he saw a small, broken bone beneath. Whether it belonged to an animal or a person was uncertain. Evan led him into the tower. Like the exterior, the interior was a dusty, sand-strewn mess. Anything of value had been stripped away long ago. But Evan found value in the iron ringlets on the back wall, which must have been used to hold shackled prisoners at one time.

As he passed his chain through them, Evan said, “With any luck, this is where you’ll find me tomorrow. Make sure to knock on the door first. If you don’t hear my voice, just turn around and run.”

“Got it,” muttered Lukas.

He and Evan parted ways then, Lukas making note of the outpost’s location before he returned to Chidibe. He didn’t like this one bit. But he did like Evan, and he felt he owed the man for saving him from those vicious bandits. He supposed this was the least he could do to repay him. If it weren’t for Evan’s kindness, he’d still be slaving away for Gazwan’s remaining goons. Just the thought made him shudder with revulsion.

Lukas returned to their inn room and began his daily training. Each day while Evan was gone, he worked out until he was exhausted, stretched his muscles to their limit, and practiced the martial arts moves Evan taught him, all in an attempt to bulk up and make himself useful. Gazwan’s men had starved him down to skin and bone. He was in no condition to do mercenary work—not yet, at least according to Evan.

Lukas tried to follow him on a number of jobs. Evan told him the same thing every time: “Only necromancers send skeletons to battle. Let’s get some meat on your bones first.”

Lukas couldn’t imagine why he cared so much. Was he really concerned for Lukas’ well-being? Scrawny and incompetent as Lukas was now, he probably just saw him as a liability. He was a mouth to feed either way, and as of now, he wasn’t paying for his own meals. So Lukas dutifully performed his workout routines until the sun fell over the horizon.

He collapsed in his bed, sore and exhausted. He slept for only a short time before waking in a cold, panicked sweat. His nightmares were still relentless. There was no rest for him anymore. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw terrible visions, traumatic memories of all that had transpired in the last several months.

Lukas lie awake and thought about Evan instead. He wondered how he was fairing now, all alone at that filthy outpost at night. What if bandits stumbled upon him? Well, unfortunate for them, he thought. He had never seen a werewolf in person. But he had seen the pictures and heard the stories, and he knew just what kind of violence and destruction such creatures were capable of. Evan’s disease made him stronger than Gaia’s finest human athletes, yet Lukas did not envy him even slightly. He would rather be skin and bones forever than live with such a curse.

The hours passed. Once the sun’s first rays pierced through the darkness, Lukas packed his bag and set off back to the outpost. There was a lump in his throat that refused to go down no matter how hard he swallowed. He was anxious, truly afraid of what he may find—or not find—when he arrived. He’d only known Evan for a week, but he’d already become quite fond of him. He never had many friends in his life beyond Itanya, his family’s physician Dr. Asha, and perhaps Jelani on a good day.

Lukas scaled the big dune and saw the outpost below. It looked just the same as it did the previous day, not a piece of junk out of place. He slipped over the crumbled wall and cautiously approached the front door. He knocked three times on the solid wood.

He heard a man groan on the other side. Lukas furrowed his brow, pressing his ear to the door. Someone was coughing, gagging, possibly retching inside. He recalled what Evan told him yesterday. Should he turn around and run? Instinct was telling him otherwise, so he knocked on the door again and called, “Evan?”

The man let out a pained sort of sound. He called back weakly, “Lu…Lukas! I can’t…!” he trailed off into another groan. He needn’t say more. Lukas quickly opened the door and found him lying on the sandy stone tiles. He was naked, surrounded by filth, and writhing in agony. His clothes and peg leg were on the other side of the room, where he had probably tossed them before he transformed. The chain was dangling from the ringlets in the wall and he was lying some distance away from it, as if he had already unchained himself and tried to crawl away.

He didn’t get far. Something had gone terribly wrong.

“Shit! Are you hurt?” gasped Lukas, rushing to his side. Evan didn’t answer. His hand struck out like a viper, snatching the rucksack slung over Lukas’ shoulder. He jerked the Uekoran to the ground like a ragdoll as he desperately rifled through it, grabbing a fistful of crackers and shoving them in his mouth.

“What are you--?” blurted Lukas, then he cried out and shielded his eyes as his friend projectile-vomited the crackers onto the floor. They hadn’t even made it to his stomach before his body rejected them. Evan was quite the pathetic sight, face covered in sand where the grains had stuck to his teartracks.

“It hurts!” he cried, letting out another howl of agony.

Lukas nearly shouted, “ _What_ hurts? What’s wrong?”

“I-I don’t know! My stomach! I can’t--!” Evan could barely get the words out as he gnashed his teeth and writhed, clutching his belly with trembling hands. Lukas didn’t know what else to do beyond offering his canteen.

Evan swiped it, spilling water down his chin as he sucked it down. Two gulps later, it came back up just like the crackers. He dropped the canteen and suddenly fell limp, briefly losing consciousness. Lukas gave him a shake and begged, “Evan, come on, don’t do this! Get up, friend! Come on, stay with me!”

Each breath that left the Greenhearstian was shallow and ragged. He gnashed his teeth, red face creased with pain as he hissed, “This ha-happened before…gotta cut it…out…” He gestured vaguely towards his belly.

Lukas quirked his brows and asked, “Cut what out?”

“Knife! Knife, now!” the man begged, holding his grasping hand out. Lukas didn’t question him. He simply reached into the rucksack and handed him a dagger. He then gasped, watching between his fingers as Evan plunged the knife right into his own belly.

“Evan! No!” Lukas screamed, but it was no use. Evan seemed dead-set on whatever he was attempting to do, snarling and shaking while he made a deep vertical incision. His body said otherwise and shut his efforts down immediately. His eyes rolled back into his head, and he fell unconscious from what Lukas could only assume was sheer pain.

“Shit, shit, _shit_! God, please…!” Lukas panicked, tangling his fingers in his long, unkempt hair. His eyes darted back and forth over the gruesome scene. The knife was stuck in Evan’s belly, the wound gushing blood over his sides and onto the floor.

Evan mentioned cutting something out. Was there something harmful inside him? Lukas could have—perhaps should have—simply left him to bleed out, taken the rest of their spoils and started a new life. He was looking at a dead man, he thought. Whatever went wrong here, there was surely no hope for Evan now.

Yet he remained there in the outpost as his heart and his brain waged war on one another, and finally, his heart came out victorious. Evan had saved his life, fed him and protected him since the day they met, and asked for nothing in return but his company.

Lukas already watched one friend bleed out before him. He refused to let this one meet the same fate.

Swallowing his fear, the Uekoran reached out and finished the surgery Evan started. He clenched his teeth, trying not to vomit at the overpowering stench of blood filling the room. He opened a gash about as long as his hand, then took a deep breath and reached inside. Immediately, he felt something that he knew didn’t belong. Something hard was lodged inside Evan’s belly, about the size of an apple.

Lukas closed his eyes tight, shouting with disgust as he pulled it free. He dared to crack one eye open and take a peek, and realized he was holding…

A rock? It was red and gleaming with fresh blood, but it was indeed just a simple rock, one of a million strewn all over the room. Lukas couldn’t believe what he was looking at. How did it end up _there_?

There was no time to contemplate it. He tossed the thing aside, staining the rucksack with his bloody hands as he dug around for medical supplies. Evan made a good call there, he thought, and pulled out a needle and thread. He had a little experience stitching wounds as a slave. Gazwan’s men would inevitably return to their lair injured, and Lukas would sit there for hours, patching them up with nothing more than a chicken bone needle and dental floss.

“If you can mend our clothes, you can mend our skin,” Gazwan once told him.

He looked at the tangle of bloody intestines resting inside Evan’s wound. He didn’t even know where to start with that, so he decided to simply patch up the incision and hope for the best. Evan had survived some brutal injuries in the past, things that would have easily killed anyone else. Still, Lukas wasn’t feeling very confident as he finished the last stitch and severed it with his teeth.

He poured some water in his hand and rubbed it on Evan’s face, trying to rouse him. “Wake up, you bastard…come back to me…it’s not your time…” he muttered. He patted his cheek a few times, shook his shoulder, pulled his eyelids open, but Evan was out cold. His chest was rising and falling. Lukas pressed his fingers to the man’s neck and felt a pulse. Still alive, but for how long?

All he could do was wait, so that’s exactly what he did. Lukas used the canteen and a spare rag to wash the blood off his hands, drew his knees to his chest and sat beside Evan for what felt like an eternity. The sun was rising. It was getting hot in the outpost. If it got too hot, he’d be forced to leave Evan here and seek water in the city.

But it seemed that wasn’t the case, for after an hour or so, Evan’s eyelids fluttered open. He got Lukas’ attention with a wheezy little moan, slowly propping himself up on his elbows.

“Oh, thank the gods!” sighed Lukas. He kneeled forward to help, but cried out as Evan just shoved him out of the way and reached for the rucksack. Once again, he ravenously tore through the food inside, stuffing his mouth full of dates.

“No, no, no! Evan, take it easy!” begged Lukas. Evan wouldn’t hear it. He quickly chewed and swallowed the food, then washed it down with the remaining water in the canteen. Lukas braced himself. The seconds passed, but to his surprise, everything Evan swallowed stayed in his belly.

Evan looked down at his stitches, fingering them curiously. Then he turned to Lukas with a questioning look. The look said enough. Lukas answered, “Yeah, that was me. It’s certainly not perfect, but it’s not bleeding, so…” He paused, then pointed to the rock lying nearby and added, “That was our culprit, by the way. Can you explain to me why on Gaia there was a big, fat rock lodged in your bowel?”

Evan’s jaw fell open like he wanted to speak, yet he remained silent, unsure of what to say. He looked around the room, examining his surroundings. After a moment of contemplation, he croaked, “The beast must have swallowed it.”

“It swallowed a _rock_? Why?” exclaimed Lukas, utterly bewildered.

Evan shook his head and sighed, “The same reason it swallowed a purse full of coins, and an old shoe, and my father: because it’s dumber than a box of hammers. That stupid creature can’t tell the difference between a wooden plank and a piece of jerky when it’s hungry enough. Usually it passes these things before I turn back, but…” He tossed a hand towards the bloody dagger lying on the floor. “Sometimes it doesn’t, and then I have to take matters into my own hands.”

“Well, in this case, I took them into mine,” said Lukas.

A long, heavy sigh passed through Evan’s nostrils. He scrubbed his palms over his face, inadvertently smearing blood all over his head, and groaned, “I would surely be dead if you hadn’t. Or worse yet, still suffering here for who-knows-how-long…Thank you, Lukas. Thank you, and thank the gods you came back for me.”

Lukas cocked his head. “Did you think I wouldn’t?”

Evan replied with nothing more than a shrug, eyes downcast and doleful.

Lukas asked, “Will you be okay?”

“Oh, friend, I feel _so_ much better already! You have no idea…” said Evan. “I’m still in quite a lot of pain, yes. But after _that_ , I dare not utter a complaint. I’ve been skewered through the guts more times than I can count in my line work. I’m sure I’ll come out stronger like I always do. Can you hand me my leg, please?”

Lukas obliged, passing his peg leg to him. He heard plenty of stories about lycanthropes surviving impossible odds, but actually seeing the phenomenon in action was a completely different experience. He couldn’t believe his eyes when he watched Evan—who was just bleeding to death an hour ago—stand up and start putting on his clothes like he was simply getting ready for the day.

“Shall we get moving?” Evan asked with a smile. Lukas, hesitated, then stood up and swiped their bag off the floor.

“Um, I guess. Are you sure you can make it back to the city?” he asked.

Evan chuckled, “Let’s find out,” and gave him a hearty slap on the back, nearly knocking him down again. His arm remained around Lukas’ shoulder as they walked towards the door. Just before they passed through, Evan stopped and pulled him into a tight hug.

“I’ll never forget this, Lukas. I owe my life to you,” he said.

Lukas hesitated, then brought his hand up and awkwardly patted his back. “Don’t mention it,” he mumbled. “If you ask me, I’d say we’re finally even.”

“You could have just left me to die, you know. I think most people would have.”

Lukas shrugged and told him, “Most people are creeps are cretins. That’s one hard lesson I’ve learned in my life. But as far as I can tell, you aren’t one of them, and that makes you worth saving in my book. I think I’ll stick around a while, if that’s okay with you.”

A big, toothy smile spread across Evan’s face. Lukas swore his sunburned cheeks looked a little pink when he said, “May nothing ever part us, my friend.”

**END**

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Please leave a kudos if you enjoyed the story, and of course feedback is always appreciated. Please tell me if you noticed any mistakes and I’ll fix them.
> 
> Aaaand that was the moment Evan fell in love. It’s always fun writing Lukas when he was younger, before he got all jaded and crusty. The years of untreated depression really wore the poor guy down. I had an entire story drafted that took place during this time, when they were young and just starting their mercenary stuff, but I never finished it and it honestly wasn’t good enough to bother. I think I’ll just pick a few segments out of it to re-write and post those instead. Evan and Luke have such a dramatic relationship that’s so fun to write just because it’s so volatile. But under all the petty BS they really do love eachother a lot. :)


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